NORTH LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - For years, South Florida’s Big Mama has provided gifts for the less fortunate, and the beloved local figure received some help of her own thanks to her local community.
Essie Reed, better known as Big Mama, arrived at Off Lease Only in North Lauderdale, Friday.
“It is such a pleasure to meet you,” an Off Lease Only representative said to Reed. “You’ve made such a difference, too, and we’re so honored to give back to someone so selfless and so amazing, so we wanted to say, ‘Big Mama, can you come here and actually take some toys for your family?'”
The company donated the toys for Reed to distribute to children, but that’s not all they did.
“All you do is spread cheer all year round to those in need, and you know what? Sometimes, we have to give back,” an Off Lease Only representative said.
Big Mama is known to help the most unfortunate with Thanksgiving meals and her own toy drive, so when Hot 105‘s Alex “Big Lip” Chisholm found out she didn’t have a reliable car, he partnered with Off Lease Only to show her some love.
“She has eight children in her house and five adults, 13 of them. She doesn’t even have reliable transportation,” Chisholm said. “I asked her, ‘How can you help so many people giving away hundreds of thousands of toys and food over the holidays and you be struggling yourself?’ And what she said to me was so selfless. She says, ‘Baby,’ — in her Big Mama voice — she says, ‘When people donate things to me, they’re not for me to give to myself. They’re for me to give to other people.'”
Big Mama was gifted a 2017 Dodge Journey for her and her family to enjoy.
“I haven’t had a car, a real car, in a long time because every time somebody give me something — thank you, Jesus — they always, they need to be fixed, they need to be repaired, but we take it,” Reed said. “We take it because we didn’t have anything else. Oh, my God. I haven’t had a car in years, y’all!”
A very grateful Big Mama had tears in her eyes and hugs for those involved.
“I feel nothing but love here,” she said. “I want to thank you all very much, very much for the love.”
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